Layers of vegetable goodness.

I have been seriously considering closing this blog simply because it is getting increasingly more difficult to find time to type of my recipes.  But tonight's dinner creation deserves to be recorded for posterity.  It was delicious.  But be forewarned - you will dirty a lot of pots and pans.  There are several steps, but the entire meal took me about 45 minutes to prepare, and probably another 45 minutes to cleanup.  You can double the recipe easily.

Polenta Layer 

4 c milk (I used water mixed with powdered milk)
2 T butter (I used unsalted, so if you use salted you may need to decrease the amount of salt)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
scant 1 c polenta (because this is all I had, but if you double the recipe use 1 3/4 cups)

Bring milk, butter, salt and pepper to a boil.  Slowly add polenta while stirring constantly until it thickens.  Reduce heat and simmer until quite thick, stirring occasionally.  Pour into a greased baking dish and stick in the freezer for the next 10 to 15 minutes s that it firms up.

Marinara Sauce
***This is Jamie Oliver's recipe, using tomato sauce instead of canned tomatoes because that is all I had

1 T olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic
2 14 oz cans tomato sauce
1 large bunch fresh basil, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups packed basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Gently heat olive oil, add minced garlic and saute until lightly golden.  Add tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine and then reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes.  Adjust seasoning.

Roasted Zucchini
1 T olive oil
1 large zucchini
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut off ends of zucchini, halve, and then slice 1/4" thick lengthwise.  You should have enough slices to fill a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 375 until tender and beginning to brown.

Swiss Chard layer
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 T olive oil
large pinch of salt
1/3 c heavy cream

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add onion and a bit of salt and saute until tender.  Add chard and continue to saute and when the chard just begins to lose the raw appearance add the cream, stir, cover pot with a lid, reduce heat and simmer until tender.  ***Creamed chard is the only way to go.  A minimal amount of cream, just 1 Tbs even, brings out a delicious sweetness.

To Assemble:
Spread the creamed chard/onion mixture over the polenta, add half of the tomato sauce and spread to cover.  Lay the roasted zucchini in a single layer and spread the remaining tomato sauce.  If you are making this all at once you can serve it immediately because the heat from all of the other components will warm the polenta.  I thought I would miss having cheese in this fake version of lasagna but the creaminess from the chard and polenta made me glad I hadn't added any cheese at all.  The flavor of this dish is seriously amazing.  And it was brought to you by what was left in my fridge and pantry today.  Enjoy.